Roasted Maple Dijon Carrots

You’ll find the perfect side dish recipe in these Roasted Maple Dijon Carrots. Marinate and roast to perfection to make dinner easier and healthier every night of the week.

I remember the first time I tried a real, true farm fresh carrot. It was like seeing the light! I was a recent college grad and the newest resident of New York City. I was at the Union Square Farmer’s Market picking up some carrots to make my carrot and ginger soup and the farmer heard me begrudgingly complain about the prices…keep in mind, I was a poor recent student, trying to live in Manhattan.

I knew I’d have to peel the carrots so I had to buy double to ensure I had enough for soup, I explained to him to which he immediately refuted me. “You do NOT need to peel these carrots!”. They’re as fresh as they come, and their skin holds all sorts of amazing nutrients you shouldn’t be wasting.

He then handed me a carrot and told me to take a bite.

And it was glorious.

I’m mostly a convenience eater. I’m the first person to admit I buy baby carrots so I don’t have to deal with chopping my favorite hummus dipping mechanism. And at some point, I had eaten so many baby carrots that I had forgotten what actual carrots tasted like.

And at 21, on a limited budget, I can’t say that I was picking up organic, farmer’s market carrots on a regular basis.

But this experience changed me. A) I learned you don’t need to peel carrots (only conventionally grown ones, covered in god-knows-what) and B) Good quality, organic carrots taste like a completely different species than your standard baby carrots.

I was a new woman.

Since then, I’ve always had an appreciation for a well-done, carrot dish. I still don’t buy farm fresh carrots on the regular, but when I do, I keep things simple. They’re so flavorful on their own that they don’t need any gimmicks. Just a little maple and dijon and some roasted goodness to highlight how delicious they already are.

Fortunately carrots have been in an abundance in my CSA so we’ve had a lot of them lately and I’m so happy I now have such an appreciation for them.

Real food is simple. It doesn’t require a lot of work, just a lot of love.

Those carrots are sooo beautiful! We grew some carrots in our garden last year and it’s amazing how much better they taste than store bought. And I never peeled them 🙂Ashley @ The Small Town Foodie recently posted…Turkey Meatloaf

I only eat organic carrots, I love that I fit haven to peel them, what a huddle! But they’re really so tasty too! One of my favourite veggies, I have 1 every day. I tried baby carrots once and they didn’t taste at all like carrots, just very watery 🙁 I don’t get why they’re so popular.